ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, June 21, 1996 TAG: 9606210044
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
HE NEVER SET OUT to be a School Board member, but as Finn Pincus sheds those duties, he leaves a legacy of good health that won't be forgotten.
Finn Pincus will be watching the physical fitness test scores of Roanoke's schoolchildren during the next few years.
He thinks they could be the key to better grades and a lower dropout rate. As a School Board member, Pincus has pushed for hiring more physical education teachers because he believes they help improve students' self-esteem and keep them off the streets and away from drugs.
A runner who narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympic Marathon trial in 1980, Pincus knows the benefits of fitness.
"So much of students' confidence is based on physical ability," he said. "As fitness improves, maybe more students will find a sport they like and spend the afternoons on the practice field instead of somewhere else."
Only 27 percent of Roanoke's fourth-and fifth-graders - and 26 percent of sixth-, seventh-and eighth-graders - passed all four of the state's mandated fitness tests during the 1994-95 school year.
At Pincus' urging, the schools have set a goal of increasing the student pass rate on fitness tests by 7 percent a year for the next three years.
Pincus has been a fitness advocate since he began running in high school in Norfolk.
He's leaving the School Board at 40 - an age at which many people are just beginning to serve on civic and governmental bodies.
He has served six years, but he decided not to seek a new term so he could devote more time to his job as cross-country and track coach at Roanoke College.
Pincus has been either going to school or working for schools as a teacher, coach or administrator almost all of his life. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and three graduate degrees from Virginia Tech, where he earned a doctorate in educational achievement last year.
He is a former assistant dean of students at Averett College in Danville and was director of ECPI Computer Institute in Roanoke for five years.
He has been cross-country and track coach at Roanoke College for five years and has taught classes in corporate and personal finance at the school.
But Pincus said he never set out to be a School Board member, despite his educational background. He just happened to see a newspaper advertisement for applications for a vacancy.
"When I saw it, I thought that was something I could do," he said. "I was working with the Roanoke Jaycees on some projects, and I was ready to do something different.''
As Pincus departs, he leaves a legacy that could have significant impact on city schools. Besides pushing for an expanded physical education program, he helped oversee the hiring of Superintendent Wayne Harris.
"One of [Pincus'] significant contributions was the leadership he provided as chairman during the search for a new superintendent," said Nelson Harris, current board chairman. "That was a major undertaking and no easy job, and he handled it well."
Nelson Harris said Pincus is largely responsible for the city's enhanced physical education program and also played a key role in upgrading the business and technical education curriculum.
Pincus' twin passions are education and running.
He has run 10 marathons and scores of shorter road races during the past two decades. He ran the Boston Marathon in April with his brother.
When Pincus was a student at UVa in the late 1970s, he set the school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, won the state championship and earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in the event. He was co-captain of the school's cross-country and track teams.
Pincus ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 2 hours and 25 minutes in 1979 - only three minutes behind the qualifying time for the Olympic trials. He ran five marathons during 1979 and 1980.
During his career, he has had two streaks of running on 1,300 consecutive days. The first streak ended when he was hit from behind by a motorcyclist while he was on a run.
His personal best times include 14 minutes and 39 seconds for the 5,000 meter run; 9 minutes and 5 seconds in the 3,000 meter steeplechase; and 30 minutes and 32 seconds in the 10,000 meter run.
Pincus still runs competitively in the masters category for runners age 40 and older in local and regional road races, but he has reduced his mileage. Now he runs about 50 miles a week; he often ran more than 100 miles weekly when he was younger.
On some days, he runs with members of his cross-country and track teams. He coaches both men's and women's teams. He used to beat some of his runners regularly, but he said he has slowed as he gets older.
"I can't recover as fast as they do," he said. "I still do pretty well in my age group, but I can't beat my top runners."
Pincus came to Roanoke to be director of ECPI 10 years ago after serving as assistant dean of students at Averett and as a management and tax consultant.
He remained at ECPI for five years, but he knew he wanted to get into coaching and athletic administration. Before coming to Roanoke, he had earned a master's degree in education and a master's in finance and marketing at Tech.
Five years ago, he became cross country and track coach at Roanoke College.
While coaching and serving on the School Board, Pincus earned a doctorate in educational administration at Tech. He wrote his dissertation on the graduation rate among football players at ACC schools and the factors affecting players' academic performance.
He found that some schools spend a lot of time and money trying to make sure that players graduate, but the quality of the students is a significant factor in whether they get a degree.
Pincus found that serving on the School Board took more time than he expected. When he was chairman and the board was searching for a new superintendent, Pincus said he spent 25 to 30 hours a week on school business.
Besides the normal board duties, he has been active in the Special Olympics program for handicapped children.
Pincus believes school administrators are more focused on goals and work better together than they did a few years ago. He has been pleased with Wayne Harris' performance as the new superintendent.
"He is good at communicating what he expects - and the prime objective of educating students," Pincus said. "He has set goals and ways of measuring how we're doing."
One of the biggest jobs for the school system during the next few years will be the renovation or replacement of Patrick Henry and William Fleming high schools, he said. "What we do with our high schools will be a big task."
LENGTH: Long : 121 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: CINDY PINKSTON/Staff. Finn Pincus, a 40-year-oldby CNBretiring Roanoke School Board member, still runs about 50 miles a
week. color.